What Free Time?
Yes, I hear you yelling, “What free time?” Leisure time is a
thing of the past. I have to work all day and study all night. I barely have
time to sleep.
You indeed have free
time…free time to watch television…free time to watch your Facebook friends
publicize every moment of their lives, and don’t forget you have time to read
the stream of status updates on Twitter. Certainly, you have some type of spare
time. If not, you should make time. It’s your health!
Why am I so worried
about your free time?
You guessed it right! Exercising
in your free time can lead to a longer life. Unfortunately, people in
developing and developed nations as the United States are becoming increasingly
physically inactive. With the improvement of technology, more people are
sitting all day instead of doing physical labor. With longer commutes, people
are riding in cars instead of walking and biking to work. A study published
this month reports that leisure time physical activity is associated with a
reduced risk of premature death compared to no physical activity. Other interesting facts in the study include:
- Physical activity equivalent to brisk walking up to 75 minutes a week was associated with an increase in life expectancy of 1.2 years in comparison to no physical activity
- Physical activity equivalent to brisk walking for at least 150 minutes a week (the recommended amount) was linked to a gain of 3.4 to 4.5 years
- A physically active normal weight person was associated with a gain of 7.2 years of life relative to an inactive very overweight person
How do you make physical
activity an everyday routine?
You
make time for everything else; now is the time to take care of you. Even First
Lady Michelle Obama finds some spare time to work out. Mrs. Obama
says, “I have a pretty well
rounded routine that incorporates cardio, some weights -- but nothing heavy,
nothing dramatic -- and plyometric and things like that, which is a lot of body
movement. You're using your own body weight to get the exercise in." If she has the time, then you can definitely make the
time.
She makes time!!!
How do you find motivation to exercise when you just
don’t feel like getting off your couch?
Just think about how you will
feel after the workout. You will feel rejuvenated after working off all the
stress! Another way to motivate yourself is to post a blog telling people
you’re going to lose weight and record your exercise daily. You’ll make it
happen because you don’t want them to think you’re a quitter.
Key takeaways…
If you already participate in at least 150 minutes of
moderate to rigorous physical activity a week, pat yourself on the back and know
your hard work is not in vain! Job well done on increasing longevity! On the
other hand, if you are not physically active (even if your goal is not weight
loss), participation in physical activity is vital to increasing your life
expectancy.
So before you pick up that remote to watch the next episode
of The Walking Dead, get out and go for a brisk walk. Just some simple exercise
can make you live years longer. If you are not self-motivated, then do it for
your family who will love to see you here as long as they can.
(2012) Leisure Time Physical Activity
of Moderate to Vigorous Intensity and Mortality: A Large Pooled Cohort
Analysis. PLoS Med 9(11): e1001335. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001335
Domonique Watson is a first year doctoral student in the
Biostatistics/Bioinformatics Department at Emory University. Even though she
does not have much leisure time to write (because her goofy two-year-old son
consumes all her spare time), enjoyed writing this blog and thinks she may do
more blogging in the near future.
